Jesus the True Vine (John 15:1-8)

Epiphany 4 (31^st January 2010)

Theme: Jesus the True Vine (John 15: 1-8)

 

Today we shall look at the statement on John 15, where Jesus says that he is “the True Vine”. I have preached a sermon on this text in May last year.  The vine was an important symbol for the Jews because the vine was a symbol of Israel itself (see Psalm 80).   The prophets, e.g. Isaiah, used it to declare Israel had produced bad fruit, and those who had been assigned to look after the vine had failed to do their work.  

In our Gospel reading today, Jesus identifies Himself as the True Vine and God the Father as the Gardener. And he tells the disciples that since they have found him, they need to stay close and remain faithful to him. And that is what our message is all about this morning: that we are to stay connected to Jesus. If we are not connected in the proper relationships, then it is impossible for us to live a life that pleases God.  As we think about this, we look at the first three big points: Jesus is the Vine; God the Father is the Gardener; I am a branch.

Jesus is the Vine.  There are two inter-related functions that a vine serves. The vine is (a) the source of life, and (b) the source of fruit.  It is the vine which draws in the nourishment for the plant, which provides life to each branch, and which brings to the branches the nutrients necessary to produce fruit.  If the branch is broken off from the vine, it will die because it has no root and it is unconnected to a source of life. And then since an unconnected branch has no life, it cannot bear fruit. And when Jesus says, “I am the True Vine” he is implying that there is life and no fruit apart from him!

God the Father is the Gardener.  Notice that there are some things that God is doing in order that life might be sustained and fruit might be produced. First, “he lifts up the branches”.  It is not written as such in the Bible.  In the Bible it says, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away…”  In the original Greek, that word translated “takes away” is the word “airo”.  “Airo” has as many as four possible meanings and four different usages:

It can mean “to lift up or pick up”.

It can mean “to lift up figuratively, as in lifting up one’s eyes or one’s voice”.

It can mean, “to lift up, with the added thought of lifting up in order to carry away”.

It can mean what most translators have taken it to mean, that is, “to remove”.

However, if you are thinking about the caring work of the gardener, it is likely that he will “lift up” the unproductive branches, rather than removing them.  Melons or pumpkins can lie on the ground and grow perfectly well. But grape vine must hang free of the ground, if it is to become fruitful.  So those branches that are lying on the ground are most likely to be lifted and stretched across the arbour in order to get oxygen and sunlight, so that the fruit will develop properly.

However, there is part of the vine that the gardener will prune and remove.   They are called the “sucker shoots”, which grow where a branch joins the stem. If they are allowed to continue to grow, they would take away the nutrients from the branches and so the vine would not be able to produce much fruit.  That is why the sucker shoots have to be pruned: to ensure plentiful fruit.

As we think about this, we are also reminded of how God the Father prunes us from time to time, in order that we might grow better.  When God wants us to produce real fruit in our lives, he has to clear away the obstacles to our growth.  And often times that pruning is uncomfortable and painful; it bruised our egos and makes us angry.  

In verse 6 we are told that he throws away worthless parts.  Some people think that this verse suggests that Christians, who lapse into sin, will lose their salvation.  Others tend to see this verse as referring only to fruitfulness – i.e. any work that we do, which do not qualify as “good fruit” will be discarded.  No matter how you interpret this verse, the truth remains: that we can never be fruitful as Christians if we are disconnected from Jesus.  Indeed, we still can do good and useful things without Jesus, but they are not in accordance to his will and purpose.  And when things are done not according to his will and purpose, they don’t bring glory to God.

That leads us to verse 8. Verse 8 reminds us that when the fruit is produced the branch does not brag: it is the gardener who gets the praise.  The Bible clearly tells us that it is God who is in control of the vineyard, and when the vine produces good fruit, God gets the glory. 

The Gardener is our heavenly Father and Jesus is the Vine.  We are the branches.   For the branches to grow and to become productive it needs that loving care of the gardener, and it needs to stay connected to the Vine. What does this imply?

First, we have no life of ourselves.  A branch that is cut off from the vine will not be of much value compared to a branch cut off from a tree.  A tree branch might be sawn into a plank or a pole, but the broken branch of a vine is useless and thrown away.  Jesus purposely used the Vine as the symbol to show our real position in life.

Second, we are not the end product; fruit is!  The purpose of the grapevine is to produce grapes, not branches.  We have so many unnecessary problems in Church because we often forget why we are here. Some of us think that we are here simply to enjoy the blessings of eternal life in Christ.  No, we are here not just to hang around and expecting to be fed: we are here in order that we may bear fruit.  If you care to remember, that was also the main message for last week: we are anointed for a purpose, and in this case to bear fruit.

Third, we play a critical role in God’s plan.  Jesus tells us that we are not the Vine; we are not the fruit. But if we are not serving as what a branch should be, there will be no fruit! 

That leads to the fourth point: as a branch, our purpose is to bear fruit. That is why we are here.  Fruit is evidence of life.  The same is true in the spiritual realm.  The Bible keeps on reminding us to take a look at our present-day life situation in order to determine whether or not we abide in Christ.  The way to do it is to see the fruit in our lives.

But, how do we know that the fruit is good - by its outward appearance, or its inward taste?  We’ve all had the experience of biting into a nice-looking fruit, but which tastes awful, bitter or sour.  The fruit may look good on the outside, but that doesn’t guarantee that a fruit is really good on the inside.  So we cannot judge people by what we see on the outside and make a conclusion that they are good or bad people.  There are certainly people of faith who lead moral lives and do good works.  There are compassionate, honest, self-sacrificing religious people.  But according to a Biblical understanding of the issue, these good works do not necessarily constitute good fruit.

Verse 8 tells us that the definition of good fruit is one that gives glory to God.  We may do the right thing, and may even do it the right way.  But if the motive is in order to earn salvation, or to show how good you are, or because it gives good name to the Church; then the fruit is not good – simply because it is not for the Father’s glory.    

How do we bear much fruit?  We only bear fruit as we abide in the Vine.  Without Jesus, you can do nothing!  Well, we can do many things without Jesus, but they are for ourselves. For those of us who are always doing things, it is easy to fall into the temptation of wanting to do, envision, plan, organize, and promote activities, and then tell God to bless what we are doing.  We all like to see good things happening in church, but if we are doing or changing things without first seeking the will of God, we can only expect failure.  We can’t accomplish anything without the Holy Spirit because the work of Jesus Christ is the work of the Holy Spirit. 

And so the question to ask next is: What does it mean to “abide”?  First, it means abiding in his Word.  If we don’t listen to the Word of God, we won’t please God, and we can’t produce good fruit.  The second thing is to obey the Word.  Jesus said, in verse John 15: 10, “if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.”  It is good to know the Word but we must live it out.  Bible study is of great value, but the important is we have to practice what we know and believe.  And what happens when we produce good fruit?  Our reading tells us that our prayers are answered because we are doing God’s will; God’s name is glorified, and we got to be known as the disciples of Jesus.

 

Let us pray:

Heavenly Father, we come to you knowing our limitations and your promises. We come to you knowing that now is the time to ask for your assistance in our fruit production.  May your Word challenge us to be all that you would have us to be. May your Holy Spirit guide and direct us, as we know we cannot do this on our own; and may Jesus who redeemed and saved us, remain in us always so that we may produce fruit as we remain in Him.  Help us to stay close to these promises. Help us when we fail, to not get discouraged. Help us when we win, to give you all the glory.  Amen